Empires of Blood
by rrj2
Summary: Eric and Pam's new progeny travel to New England for a royal wedding and circumstances there force Eric to deal with post-Authority politics.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"So, why are we going to this wedding?" Jeremy asked.

"Pam didn't tell you?" replied Eric.

"Pam mentioned a rumor that the bride and groom don't actually like each other that much. That's all she told me."

"I assumed she told you more," Eric replied. "The bride was a good friend of Nora's. Nora spoke very highly of her."

"You've never met?"

"Haven't had the chance."

"But she still invited you," Jeremy commented.

"She invited me for something else, though I don't know what that reason is yet. Her friendship with Nora is the reason I accepted."

Eric and Jeremy arrived at a mansion. As the driver opened the doors to let them out, a woman descended down a large flight of stairs.

"Eric Northman."

"Rebecca Langdon, we meet at last," replied Eric as he gave Rebecca a handshake. "This is Jeremy Pine."

"Your progeny?"

"Pam's," Eric answered.

"Hello, Ms. Langdon."

"Queen to you," Rebecca replied. She gave Jeremy a quick handshake and proceeded up the stairs back into the house.

Jeremy looked at Eric, but Eric simply shrugged. They followed Rebecca with their bags.

"Not queen to you?" Jeremy quietly asked.

"Apparently not."

Several guests, including Eric and Jeremy, gathered in a meeting room later in the evening to mingle.

Jeremy noticed someone glaring at Eric as she approached the pair.

"That look's never been good news when I've seen it on Pam," Jeremy quietly commented.

Upon hearing Jeremy, Eric noticed a progeny of his.

"Willa, it's been a while," Eric noted.

Jeremy's eyes widened.

"I wish it could have been longer," Willa responded. "I wanted to ask the king to get you disinvited, but he seemed as interested in you as the queen is. I don't know why, though, if he's sending me to Massachusetts after the wedding."

Willa noticed that Eric was about to reply, but didn't want to stop.

"Let's get this over with. Hi. Long time, no see. Did you have a nice trip up? Enjoy your stay." Willa then promptly joined a group of others in their conversation.

Jeremy looked at Eric with his eyebrows raised.

"That didn't go as badly as it could have," Eric noted.

"Did you know she'd be here?" Jeremy asked.

"No, I did not."

"Eric," Rebecca called out. She signaled Eric to follow her.

Willa noticed Eric's departure and approached Jeremy.

"Are you his progeny?" Willa asked.

"No, I'm Pam's. You've met Pam before, right?"

"Yes, I have. Is she as terrible a maker as Eric is?"

"I think you were an exception because of the circumstances," Jeremy answered. "Pam's great, and Eric is a really good mentor, too."

"Is he?"

"Yeah. He's become really interested in continuing his bloodline to honor his maker, so he's involved."

"Is that why you're here with him instead of Pam?"

"Well, Pam needed to stay in Louisiana to keep an eye on New Blood. So how did you end up here?"

"The King of Vermont is a good guy," Willa answered. "I was wandering around the east coast, and he found me after I hadn't fed in too long and he helped me."

Meanwhile, Rebecca had ushered Eric into a library. Eric sat down while Rebecca paced around.

Rebecca sighed loudly. "Just one more day, and then I can be rid of all of you and all of this."

"Not a fan?"

"I tried marriage once when I was human. No, I'm not a fan."

Eric looked at Rebecca expectantly.

"What do you see when you look down from your ivory corporate tower?"

"Not enough, I presume from the tone of your voice."

"The Queen of Massachusetts," Rebecca said.

"Willa mentioned going there. I heard from other sources that Elizabeth Cooke is making a move on Connecticut."

"She already has. She's taken over. Half of Rhode Island is shaking in fear and the other half already pledged allegiance, including Cameron Ford."

"You think she's going to move north," Eric realized.

"Everyone is expecting it. My marriage to Vermont might protect us, at least we hope."

"Maine?" Eric asked.

"He wants to support the winning side, but he doesn't know which side that is yet, so he's quiet. It wouldn't matter anyway. If Massachusetts wants Maine, she will be able to take it."

"New York?"

"She's too powerful to threaten, even if Massachusetts takes all of New England. She's also too uninterested to care about what's happening."

"So you invited me up here to ask for my help."

"Yes," Rebecca answered.

"And what makes you think I would help?"

"I don't think," Rebecca admitted. "It's just another hope in a cavalcade of hopes in case my marriage is not enough."

Rebecca sat down near Eric while the latter contemplated his options.

"Nora?" Rebecca suggested.

"You're going to play that card?"

"I'm desperate. I want to keep my queendom."

"After the Authority fell, I didn't think kingdoms and queendoms would mean anything anymore."

"Now you know better. I don't know how it is in the south but in New England, vampires upheld the Authority's appointments. We respected them, Massachusetts notwithstanding."

"It's the same in the south, except Louisiana. We're getting by without a monarch. I hear Oregon and Missouri are, too. If you want, I will help you. I'll threaten to cut off the supply of New Blood to Massachusetts."

"I was hoping for more than that."

"What?" Eric asked.

"If the Queen of Massachusetts threatens us, I want you to bring back the Authority, with you leading it."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm not interested in politics," Eric answered.

"You were a sheriff."

"Not by choice."

"And you were a chancellor."

"Not much of a difference there," Eric responded. "Why would vampires even recognize a new Authority?"

"They will recognize you. Short as your tenure was, vampires will respect your previous place in the Authority. You control New Blood. That's why Louisiana doesn't need a monarch. It has you. You are also the oldest vampire in the western hemisphere."

"What about Nikanor Pappas?"

"He returned to Greece a few months back. He's planning on living there indefinitely."

"Anton Blanc?" Eric asked.

"He chose to meet the sun three weeks ago. You really should look down from your tower more often."

Another person entered the room and approached Eric to shake his hand.

"Ah, Eric Northman, good to finally meet you in person. I'm Geoff Liboiron."

"Hello, Geoff."

"Has Rebecca completed her pitch yet?"

"It has become clear to me that I am not as informed as I should be concerning our politics, despite the reach of New Blood. I've been busy attending to matters of my bloodline."

"Pam's progeny?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes, and Pam herself. I've been helping her become stronger and better. I mention my ignorance because I'm admitting that I don't know how things are going in New England. Rebecca said that this Massachusetts situation is not typical."

"No, it's not," Geoff replied.

"But that only means that Elizabeth Cooke is the only one amassing power," Rebecca added. "She could take over here. She could even re-establish a new Authority. That's another fear of ours, hence my request."

"That's not possible from controlling only New England," Eric countered.

"It's a good start," Geoff replied. "Five states, six if Maine becomes an ally or is annexed, and political maneuvering in other areas will get her that Authority. She does have friends overseas who can help seal the deal."

"Can we count on you if The Queen of Massachusetts decides to pursue either?"

"Does Cooke even want to start a new Authority? Perhaps she just wants New England."

"We don't know yet, but either is a problem for us," Rebecca answered. "Don't rule out a new Authority for yourself. It really might be a good idea."

"One step at a time, Rebecca," Eric answered.

"The Sun's coming up," Geoff announced. "We'll discuss this after the wedding. I'm sending Willa Burrell to meet with the Queen after. I'm hoping she can determine her intentions."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Your majesty," Willa addressed Elizabeth. "The King of Vermont and the Queen of New Hampshire thank you for your congratulatory message."

"They're welcome," Elizabeth responded. "I wish I could have attended the wedding, but I've had other business that warranted my attention. I'm sure they understood."

"They did."

"It's manifestly clear that the other business is why you're here," said Elizabeth. "So, what have you come to specifically discuss?"

"The King and Queen are offering any assistance you may need in handling and securing Connecticut and Rhode Island."

"In exchange for leaving them alone?"

"Is that something you're willing to negotiate?" Willa asked.

"I'm not sure if I've decided yet."

"May I ask what your plans are?"

"How long have you been a vampire? Not long, I presume."

"A few years," Willa responded.

"Are you familiar with the Vampire Authority?"

"Yes, the King of Vermont filled me in on vampire culture and politics."

"The vampire community has been doing well without an Authority, but this is just the calm before the storm. Things will start to fall apart. I already see the beginnings of chaos in Oregon and Missouri, states that have no monarch."

"You want to put things back on track," Willa concluded. "A new Authority?"

"Can Vermont and New Hampshire help me with that?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'll find out for you. Do you have any specifics that you are proposing?"

The next evening, Willa briefed Rebecca and Geoff in Rebecca's library. Eric attended, with Jeremy sitting off to the side.

"It sounds like she might not move north if you support her," Eric concluded. He noticed Willa looking slightly uneasy.

"I still don't like it," Geoff remarked. "We can't trust her."

"Who can you trust, then?" Eric asked. "Don't say me, because you shouldn't trust me."

"We'll weigh our options," said Rebecca. "I'm sure you'd like to get back to Louisiana, Eric. We didn't intend to keep you here so long."

During the flight back to Louisiana, Pam called Eric.

"You need to get that plane turned around so you can fix the mess you left behind," said Pam.

"What are you talking about?" asked Eric.

"Willa killed Rebecca Langdon."

"When?"

"An hour ago," Pam responded. "Geoff Liboiron called me and there's chaos in New England now."

"Why would Willa do that?" Eric asked.

"You tell me."

"Willa told Jeremy that Geoff had helped her and you told him he and Rebecca don't actually like each other."

"And now that Rebecca's dead, Geoff's lost the ball and chain and gained a state," Pam concluded.

"Alternatively, the Queen of Massachusetts put Willa up to this to weaken the new union. Willa is still my progeny. I'll get to the bottom of this. Where is Willa now?"

"She's under guard by the late Queen's staff. She's basically arrested."

"The last time a vampire killed another was in Arizona, and the King there had the murderer executed," Eric recalled.

"I know. It's an unfortunate precedent."

"Maybe a new Authority would be a good idea after all," Eric said quietly.

Eric and Jeremy returned to the mansion in New Hampshire.

"Where is she?" Eric asked Geoff.

"Basement."

"What happened?" Eric asked as Geoff led the way.

"It was just a normal evening here. Willa offered to help Rebecca put away some china we were gifted and then she suddenly plunged a stake into Rebecca's heart."

Eric, Jeremy, and Geoff arrived at a door guarded by two vampires. Geoff burst into the room.

"I'm not telling you anything," said Willa.

"As your maker, I command you to tell me why you killed Rebecca," Eric ordered.

"The Queen of Massachusetts told me to do it or she'd hunt me down after taking over all of New England and creating a new Authority. She said she'd kill the king, too. She made me drink her blood."

"That only works when humans drink vampire blood," Eric informed.

"What?" Willa replied.

Eric sighed. "Sensing your fear and tracking you down? She lied to you."

"You never taught me these things!"

Eric turned to Geoff. "What are your plans for her?"

"I haven't decided yet. Did you hear about Dylan Rivas in Arizona?"

"Yes, it's an unfortunate precedent."

"I know that in the days of The Authority, murderers would be forced to become makers. I don't think that'd be a good idea here."

"Are you rushing to make a decision?"

"No," Geoff replied.

"Then I'd like to use your phone and make some calls. Tomorrow night, I'll go to Massachusetts."

The next night, Eric arrived in Massachusetts and surprised Elizabeth Cooke with an entourage.

"Eric Northman, hello," Elizabeth unsteadily greeted.

"It's good to finally meet you. I assume you know or know of the Kings and Queens of Maine, New York, Florida, Texas, Ohio, and California. I want you to admit to them that you coerced Willa Burrell into murdering Rebecca Langdon by threatening her and the King of New Hampshire."

"I think that would be an inappropriate admission."

"Is it not true?" Eric asked.

"Well," Elizabeth began.

"Willa Burrell is my progeny," Eric said, surprising Elizabeth. "I do not take manipulation of my progeny lightly and I do not take cowardly refusal to accept responsibility for such an action lightly."

"I did it. I'm responsible for Willa killing Rebecca. You must understand, I wouldn't hurt Geoff Liboirin. I wanted him to marry me. Now that I know Willa is your progeny, I'd never hurt her, either. Eric, my annexation would have helped you. If I controlled New England and led The Authority, I could have streamlined the distribution of New Blood for you."

"New Blood is doing just fine without your help," Eric replied. He grabbed Elizabeth by the throat.

Elizabeth glanced at the other Kings and Queens, looking for aid.

"I also don't take lightly the murder of vampires my sister adored," Eric added before killing Elizabeth.

Eric soon returned to New Hampshire.

"The Kings and Queens of New York, Ohio, Florida, Texas, and California will form a new Authority along with two vampires I know well in Scandinavia," Eric informed Geoff. "You are also invited to join."

"And you?"

"I assembled the chancellors and I will cut off the supply of New Blood to any state or country that does not recognize this new Authority. A more diverse group of chancellors would have been better, but I don't want to be involved anymore, so I'm sticking with who's immediately available. That's all I'm going to do."

"Okay," Geoff replied.

"There is one more thing. I've requested that Willa Burrell go free as a personal favor to me. The other new Chancellors are willing to look the other way because of Cooke's involvement. Will you do the same?"

"Of course," Geoff answered.

Willa soon met with Eric.

"I don't suppose you'd like to come back to Louisiana with me so I can be a proper maker to you," said Eric. "I don't want Fangtasia to become a nest, so neither Pam nor I were going to make any more vampires until Jeremy went off on his own, but you are welcome. More than welcome."

"No, thanks."

Eric stood up. "Okay. That's your choice. Then, I'll tell you something I should have told you a long time ago. Willa, I renounce the ties of our blood and my dominion over you as my progeny. As your maker, I release you."

Willa took a couple deep breaths. "Thank you, Eric."

"A great bloodline flows through you. I hope you recognize that."

Willa nodded.

"You may have declined my offer and I may have released you, but you can contact me anytime you need me. Good luck, Willa."

Eric glanced at Jeremy and signaled him. Soon, the two departed towards home.


End file.
